The affect that the cane toads have on the environment is huge, they are destroying wildlife, pets and are also a massive impact on people’s lives.

                                                                                                                                             

 

The wildlife has probably suffered the most during the cane toads’ existence because they are the ones who are the closest to the pest. The cane toads have taken many resources for Australia’s natural inhabitants because they are using them as spawning grounds for their young and land that Australia’s native animals would normally use for their breeding.  

Food supplies have also been cut down due to the cane toad because they eat almost anything that can fit into their mouths; this includes Australia’s protected wildlife. Even if the cane toad does not eat native wildlife, the animals still have a good chance of becoming a victim to the cane toad. This is because the cane toad has a lethal defence mechanism located on its shoulders. What happens when the toad is attacked it releases its toxic poison into the other animals’ mouth as it is eating the toad, this would then kill the predator within an hour or instantaneously – even crocodiles are vulnerable to this introduced pest.

This picture here is showing the

ultimate affect of the cane toad.

It shows a cane toad being devoured

by a Death Adder. However the 

snake will also die because

of the poison that the Cane

Toad has released when it was bitten into. This would then also kill the snake, and as you can see here there native animal and the pest are locked in a death embrace. This sort of thing is becoming more and more of a problem for Australia’s natural wildlife because slowly but surly the Cane Toad is wiping out many species of native wildlife. However, some of Australia’s animals have learnt how to recognize the pest and therefore eat it without dying or just to leave it alone. Some of the creatures that have learnt how to eat the Cane Toad are some species of bird. They have been seen flipping the Cane Toad over and eating it from the underside, therefore not consuming any of the poison. Other animals have not been so lucky as to figure out how to eat the Cane Toad because normally the first time that they see and eat one is also the last time.

This in turn means that the Cane Toad has no natural predators in Australia and also that very few animals will become a predator that doesn’t die after eating one. It also doesn’t help that many creatures eat frogs and toads that are harmless to them, so when a Cane Toad appears they will eat it and from previous experience will believe it will not harm them. This will end in the animal’s death and this will keep happening again and again because they cannot recognize the Cane Toad.  

Since it was introduced the Cane Toad has been taking up needed space that Australia’s native and protected animals need to survive. They are taking up ponds and lakes that animals go to get a drink from but end up with a mouthful of Cane Toad young, this problem is becoming more and more widespread due to the increasing Cane Toad population; which is growing much faster and threatening every time a pair of toads reproduce. The growing population is taking its toll on the native wildlife wherever it goes eating many of the bugs and small mammals that others need to survive. The Cane Toads will eat these thing in such massive numbers the animals that depend on these food supplies may not be able o find a good source of food and therefore may starve.

This pest has also had a huge impact on the people who are living right next door to it. The Cane Toad is invading houses, garages, gardens and even the pet’s home. This is causing much grief to the owners because dogs, cats and many other types of pet are very inquisitive and will see a Cane Toad and want to check out what it is. This may result in the animal annoying the pest and possibly consuming some of its toxic poison – killing it. Parents also have to be very wary of where there children are going and what they are doing because children are normally interested in everything and may also, although up not knowingly, eat some of the poison.  

The introduction of the Cane Toad to Australia has had an enormously negative affect on Australia’s natural environment causing drops in numbers of native animals, smaller food supplies for wildlife and more worry for parents.

This makes the Cane Toad a very real threat to family, friends, pets and Australia as a nation.

 

Home / Biological Information / Campaigns to Stop the Cane Toad / 

What Parts of Australia does the Cane Toad Affect?